check check . this is al jazeera america live from new york city. i'm jonathan betz with a look at the top stories. >> greatest day ever. why wouldn't i want to be here? >> yes, indeed the holiday season is underway from parades and shopping to volunteering and giving - deals to be had and where help is most needed. plus... meanwhile egypt is in turmoil. young women behind bars. >> mistrust and anxiety the tension between china and japan and the islands and the role the u.s. had in creating it. >> a cosmic col ligs that has

scientists and space junkies looking forwards heaven. happy thanksgiving , it's a day to give thanks. americans are taking time to celebrate and serve. some places so many volunteers had to be turned away, some working in soup kitchens. a town comes together for a special dinner. longer shopping hours mean more people have to work this holiday. first a stop at the macy's parade in new york. high winds threatened to destroy the show. but the winds died down and balloons like snoopy and spongebob flew again. >> macy's employees call them their gentle giants, flying

through the canyons of new york, making it through the skye scrapers, as traditional as having the whole family over for a turkey donor. the 97th thanksgiving day parade almost didn't make it. a messy storm passed over leaving winds. winds higher than 23 miles per hour were gusting above 34 would have kept the big boys on the ground. in the end stiff breezes did not stop the balloons taking off. 3.5 million braved freezing temperatures to watch the parade. 50 million would have seen it on tv. >> thanksgiving day parade. why wouldn't i want to be here? >> the statistics which began are staggering.

>> 15 balloons, 20 smaller ones, 11 marching bands, 900 clowns, drum majors and majorets. listen closely and you could almost have heard a sigh of relief from the macy's crew. definitely something worth giving thanks for. great to see that. turning to the midwest where a community has a reason to be grateful. survive juniors of tornados last week banded together for the holiday. rows joins us from washington, illinois. it's a difficult time. people there seem to be celebrating the true spirit of thanksgiving. >> thankful that they are alive. when you look at the damage, you can see why. not much has changed in the last week or so when the tornados hit. today a lot of high schools and churches were donating free

meals for the victims and first responders. we went to the meal where they had the biggest feast at crossroads united methodist church. they were expecting 1200 people. there were so many volunteers, and so much food they had to put on the brakes. they rounded up about 1200 pounds of turkey so it work out. for the victims, the tornado tested their faith. today's meal strengthened their faith. >> this meal and this place is amazing. the god's soldiers on earth. they are angels. they give us real food, a place to sleep. i adopt them, all of them as a family. they are so wonderful. >> in fact, norma was telling us she hung on for deer life as her

apartment went up in the wind. 1500 homes were damaged or destroyed. the number of services by the state and federal to help them out and the donations pouring in. >> you talk to the survivors, how are they celebrating. you mentioned the help at that food bank. what else are people doing today? >> well, they are getting good news. this week president obama declared 17 counties in southern and central illinois as disaster areas, opening up grant money to give them home loans to get the homes back in shape and renovated and give them short-term housing to get through this. yesterday the black hawk charities, the hockey team got together. they rounded up a lot of donations. the government is here. people are encouraged by the fact that they may have lost everything, but the giving continues, long after thanksgiving. >> as you drive through the area, i'm curious to know how it

looks. do you feel there is a lot of recovery or people making progress and people cleaning up and rebuilding homes. >> things like the power is all back on. power polls are on. in some neighbourhoods there is no hope. a lot of these homes will have to be torn down. some that are standing will have to be brought down. contractors have been allowed to come in. they were keeping it a tight rein on contractors to avoid being ripped off for some people. they are now allowed to come in, assess the damage. we had teams from all over the country coming in, giving people an idea of what they need. in that way it has improved, and i have to say meeting those people at the thanksgiving meal, it brightened their way. the meal was delicious, a lot were there taking advantage of it. >> seeing their spirits makes you put everything in priority.

rows in hard-hit washington, illinois. >> $5 billion was slashed from the federal food banks program resulting in across-the-board cuts for food recipients, meaning a leaner thanksgiving. >> what you doing. you not afraid. >> mercedes brown has been raising her six grandchildren aged 2 to 16 since her daughter was murdered. >> i been with her on her 21st birthday. >> brown says she went out and got two jobs when the grandchildren moved in. still, she says, it's tough to put food on the table around the holidays. this year she asked for help. >> everything that i have, that i cooked is through the food bank. i thank them. i wasn't going to have a thanksgiving. >> brown says it's the first

time using a food pantry. she is not alone. gail runs the outreach in new orleans. >> i experienced an increase in new clients, clients who have - who are using the food bank for the first time. >> at the start of the month a temporary increase in federal supplemental assistance program benefits ran out because congress failed to renew it. it affected nearly 50 million americans. >> this thanksgiving more families are in instead because of cuts. they are more reliant on food pantries and other organizations to make ends meet. >> this food pantry has helped about 200 new participants and expects the number to go up as more people like mercedes come to her with the help. >> it's the blessing to have the

aroma. you know it's thanksgiving because everyone is cooking. >> brown says she knows the days ahead is difficult. she is thankful. >> well, thanksgiving signals the start of a shopping season. many are poised to jomp on the sales. jennifer glass is live at the macy's store. it's one of a handful of retailers it open. what i wonder, is it worth getting out there today. are the deals better today than black friday. >> jonathan, the crowds are beginning to gather here. the shoppers think so. at this macy's store there are special deals. the very first time macy's opens, this store has been around 111 years. for the first type opening on thanksgiving. special deals coming tonight.

opening at 8:00 pm until 1:00 pm tomorrow. then the deals change. there are some advantages for coming. part of it is not about the consumers, it's for the retailers. it's christmas shopping season. six days shorter because thanksgiving falls late. the retailers want to get as much a jump on it as possible. >> this is a trend of retailers pushing black friday into thursday. how many other chains are jumping on the bandwagon. >> well in addition to macy's, j.c. penneys and staples open for the first time. walmart changed its thanksgiving specials, starting 6:00 pm, earlier than 8:00 pm. toys "r" us are open at 5 o'clock. we saw a lot of crowds in times stair. it's a trend across the country that retailers are using,

opening earlier. cost coe and some others say they'll keep it a family holiday and stay closed. >> any indication on what the crowd is like. it's cold in the north-east. i imagine it's impacting shoppers. >> it's evening. it's gold in new york. as you can see behind me the crowds are gathering. earlier when they thought the doors were opening a number of consumers were trying to get in the doors. thousands of people came to new york for the macy's thanksgiving day parade. a lot of other shops are open here as well. i see people with shopping bags walking around, a lot waiting for the flagship store to open. >> a lot haven't had thanksgiving dinner yet the shopping has begun. >> as you heard a lot of

retailers are getting the jump on the holiday season by opening today. for a lot, the real deal is cyber monday. >> black friday has all the attention. for many retailers cyber monday is just as important. >> my guess is we'll go short of 3 billion this year on cyber monday. >> this year brick and mortar retailers are offering big specials. analysts are not expecting consumers to bust down doors to get them. last year americans spent nearly $2 billion on cyber monday, seeing double digit seats increase every year since 2010. >> retailers are recognising that consumers will have a great deal of technology in their hand. they can shop whether at work, the internet and at home. >> it's not just happening on desktop computers. on-the-go computers are

harnessing the best deals. retailers are building apps. >> because of instant gratification and technology, they are offering consumers t message when the client goes into the storm and wants an significant coupon. the last few months is brutal. targetting cost-conscious customers. walmart, seers and cold are expecting leaner sales. retailers are offering free shipping as a lure. >> a lot of strength in holiday sales comes from the online channels, specially with mobile toting consumers, figuring out the best deals online. >> nearly half of consumers are expecting to do shopping online. up from 30% last year. a challenge for retailers now is to keep the customers happy by

making sure the orders ship in time for the big day. >> amazon reached a record-high yesterday, investors are banking on a strong showing on cyber monday. we have a lot more on thanksgiving celebrations, but first to egypt where water canons and tear gas from used to break up protesters, killing one students. demonstrators rallied for 16 women sentenced to prison. the youngest is 15. they were convicted under a law banning demonstrations without government permission. we have this report from cairo. >> people were angered to see the 14 girls standing in that gauge -- cage in the court, treated as high-risk criminals.

they do belong to the 7am movement, a movement supporting the anti-coup aligns, and supporting former president mohamed morsi. what they did is before going to school or university, they stood in the street for half an hour, carrying balloons with the anti-coup alliance. they formed a human chain. they were sentenced for thuggery, for destruction of public property among other charges - something that the lawyer says they'll appeal, but certainly it raises a lot of questions for many people especially that they were detained before the protest. the university and another university has been in turmoil for a while. now, the anti-coup alliance has

been holding a lot of the demonstrations, and the students that support them are holding the demonstrations. they do turn violent once in a while. that is what happened. according to the interior ministry the students spilt outside of the campus. the interior ministry say the security forces use a protocol spelt out by the protest law, which warns the students to go back inside the campus. the students remain outside. then they use the water canon, and then they fire tear gas. we heard that one student has died with bird shot. certain it is an escalation that keeps on going on. with the protest, it is difficult for anyone to carry out a protest because the students have to go through the dean of the university, and they have to ask the interior

ministry permission for the students to protext. there's an experience that the government is all-out trying to stifle voices of dissent. that promises to be a heated debate here. >> afghanistan's president says a u.s. airstrike killed a child and wounded two women. it happened in helmand, a province in southern afghanistan. hamid karzai says the attack has no regard for afghan civilians. it comes at a bad time. hamid karzai is in standoff that could keep troops in afghanistan beyond 2014. >> china has sent planes into the china sea. the move comes after japanese and u.s. military planes flow through the area without telling china. china will remain on high alert and take measures to protect its

territory. it centres around a group of islands. the u.s. got involved when it flew a pair of b 52 bombers through the area two days ago. vice president joe biden heads to china toees to ease tensions. >> it may take a tiny miscalculation or misunderstanding and the islands go be the center of a large conflict. to the japanese they are the senkakku islands and to the chinies the diaoyu island. they are the most talked about islands. politics at home have a lot to do with it >> translation: china, japan and korea face domestic issues. they want to divert attention. these countries want to find another issue they can quarrel

about. >> china's decision to impose control over the air space upset its immediate neighbours south korea. it's argued that the u.s. is most annoyed. >> translation: the adiz was introduced by the united states after japan's defeat in the world war ii. this is a u.s. invention. china is introducing a new order. that's why the u.s. is sensitive to this as japan. on the streets of tokyo, there's concern. >> translation: i can't understand why anyone would do this. if you don't know what your neighbour is thinking, that becomes a reason to be afraid. >> my feelings of mistrust anxiety and nervousness increases. >> this was never more than a

footnote until 40 years ago when an unsurvey suggested there could be oil deposits in the seabed around them. that god taiwan and china interested. now with so many countries involved a small misstel could have consequences for peace in the region. it's that miscalculation that american vice president joe biden hopes can be avoided when they visits next week. with oil deposits yet to be proven. the islands have little value. it could be a high-stakes conversation over nothing. >> the u.s. might have a solution to the thorny problem of where to take syria's chemical weapons. according to associated press the u.s. is looking at destroying the stockpile on a government ship in the mediterranean. an international watchdog agency

needs to approve the idea. >> u.n. says iran has given inspectors a green light to tour an energy plant. it will examine a heavy water reactor. the deal signed with six powers called for the work at this plant to be stopped. >> too close for comfort. still ahead - where the so-called comet of the century is now - possibly on a collision course with the sun. it's a big question for scientists. >> a 7 million bitcoin treasure buried under a landfill.

you. it is a big change from yesterday across the north-east. we are looking at better conditions here. in terms of temperatures it's cool. it's warmed up 3 degrees from what it was this morning.

we were seeing 30 degrees. now, we were looking at wind shield down towards about 15 to 18 degrees, for the participants of the macy's day parade they were doing what they could to stay warmed. down towards the south-east this morning, we were talking about temperatures into the 20, they warmed up nicely. they are 15 to 20 degrees below average for this time of year. tomorrow big shopping day across the country, more details of this. it looks like the problems are going to be here towards the west. seattle los angeles expecting rain in the forecast. >> good news for space junkies, it appears that the comet may be in one piece. it circled around the sun. almost 217 miles per hour. through a temperature zone approaching 5,000 degrees farren

height. >> my colleague spoke to an amateur photographer who captured ice. >> ison survives, what should skye watchers expect next. >> it's a little hard to say. we are looking at images that are 15 minutes old, and we can see clearly part of the comet is there, the tail is there. thrusters, nuklious isn't as bright as it was. it's still really too early to tell. i doubt we'll see a really super bright comet like they were predicting earlier. >> this was dicey. we didn't find out until a short while ago that it survived. as of about 20 minutes ago all the reports said it had died. then it was already expected to know up in the camera, it didn't show up. it was dim before it went in. it was dim before it came in.

i got several emails. about 15-20 minutes ago images of the tail showed up. something left. ison, now that it survived, will we see anything like that. if so, what will we see. the best predictions is we'll see a come et as bright as the moon. a naked eye comment before dawn, you would see a fall in the sky, and a long tale that could stretch 20-30 degrees in the sky, or maybe longer. we still want to look over the next three to four days. wake up half an hour before dawn and look to the eastern disi. you might see something. >> might see a lot next month when it passes by. >> that was del walters speaking to amateur photographer hank.

>> ross is here for sport. the broncos have reason to give thanks. >> head coach john fox heading back to work. they had open heart surgery recovering in charlotte. the plan is to have them in the coach's box upstairs or on the sidelines against tennessee on december 8th. the green bay packers and the lions. matt stafford had a monster game, throwing for 300 yards, three touch downs and the megatron dumped it. lions 40-10, with the first thanksgiving victory since 2003. packers lost, but aaron rodgers expected to be back from a broken collarbone. he's hoping to strap it up next week. the packers have not won a game

since aaron rodgers was injured. >> the dow jones broke records every day this week. does that mean retailers can expect a windful. plus... >> i can't wait for a company to stand up and say they care for the employs. >> a pizza hut employee fired for refusing to make his employees work on thanksgiving. >> i wish my wife a mary christmas in denver colorado. >> next time on "consider this". >> how would you like your own drone and the holiday shopping season. we'll show you the craziest gadgets.

. welcome back to al jazeera america. here is a look at the top stories:egyptian security forces arrested an activist. according to his family he was detained for inciting demonstrations in defiant of a new law. protests continue in support of 21 women sentenced under the law. one student was killed under the clashes. >> tensions are growing between china, japan, south korea over islands in the east china sea. according to the state newsagencyie china sent war planes. this is after japan and south korea flew planes there without informing china. vice president joe biden heads to china to try to resolve the dispute. >> there were worries about high winds and weather, but the show went on without a hitch. 16 beloved balloons made the trip.

15 million watched across the country. >> it's a tale that's been passed on for generations. many think of thanksgiving as a celebration between the pilgrims and their neighbours, the history of the holiday has its roots in politics. a day of thanks was proclaimed by congress celebrating a war over the british. in 1789 george washington declared a day of thanksgiving and prayer in honour of the new constitution, in 1863, abraham lincoln asked the nation to celebrate. it did not become a holiday until 1941, franklin roosevelt signed it into law. several major retailers are open. kmart started business at 6 o'clock. toys r up, walmart and target are opening later this evening.

it's not happening everywhere. laws in main, massachusetts, rowed island banned stores opening. >> we. >> it is busy here. there are hours to go towards the 6:00 pm hope time. remember when it was black friday. now i saw references to black friday week or gray thursday. it's the creep of the holiday consumer race into thanksgiving. best buy opened last year at midnight. this time it's setting the clock back again to 6:00 pm local time. people are eager. consumer electronics - the spendier electronics - they are eager to get deals that they can't get any other time. most of the folks gave up their

turkey dinner to be here in pursuit of deals on computers, television. some even camped out here all night. >> i only had one blanket like a jack jacket, sweater. my toes were frozen. >> it was the first time for me to be in this line. >> we had a big brunch for thanksgiving. we did it all in for breakfast. and we came here. >> that penny wise young man talked his dad into thanksgiving dinner. he saved up half the amount for a 46 inch television. the gentleman who gets his deals, he's going back to the mall to do more shopping. >> good for them to save the money. >> i think so.

>> it's a trend of stores opening earlier and i don't recall. why is this happening? >> well i think some of it is competition from online retailers. they never turn off the light or lock the doors. people can shop from home, in their pyjamas. >> retail sales predicted to be up 40%. online jumping 15%. the fact that with thanksgiving so late. there are fewer shopping days. they are trying to squeeze out every extra hour of sales. >> people are trying to squeeze out every extra hour. >> thank you live from seattle. >> an earlier retail expert spoke to us about what stores are doing to protect customers after stampedes in previous years.

>> walmart can get a bracelet on their hand. it guarantees a spot later. it's like buying a justin bbcer ticket. >> it's major crowd control. if we have black friday sales on thursday and the friday before black friday. is black friday, as a term, as a concept in retail relevant. >> it's relevant, but not as definitive a day. it's the anchor, but we should consider it a black friday week. it's starting today. cyber monday is a biggest day. it will be the first day ever to have 2 billion in online sales in the united states. you have to look at it as a period, and the 5 day weekend becomes something that can help you gage how the overall season is opening up. >> the trend is more people will shop online.

>> more are shopping online. if you are macy's, you are using your stores to get people interested in what you have to sell, so those shoppers will either go on to the websites or shop in the stores. >> are you seeing a focus from retailers shifting from the black friday concept to more cyber monday? >> no, cyber monday is part of it, it's meant to be >> going hand in hand. >> what they are finding is getting people to shop. on monday when they are back at the desk they can continue to shop more. >> thank you for being was. we appreciate it. >> heap thanksgiving to him. if you are shopping, that means others have to work. we look at thanksgiving from their perspective. >> a proud and loving father of two girls, ty looks forward to the holiday. thanksgiving is one of my favourite holidays. i meet up with family, aunts,

mum, father, uncles, cousins, nieces. we eat and then we fall asleep and we eat some more. >> this year he's particularly thankful because the new york retailer he works for is closed for thanksgiving. proud of that fact the company is airing a commercial. >> at pc richmond&son we believe thanksgiving should be spent at home. 34 million are expected to hit the stores. macy's will open their stores. >> it's not like forced labour, it's our choice. >> some felt forced to work. they took to facebook to urge people not to shop. michelle posted that she quit her retail management job saying the shopping thing has gone way

too far. >> kmart is not new to the line-up of retailers opened for the halliday. this year the doors will be hope for 48 straight hours between thanksgiving thursday and black friday. it will take a lot of workers to keep things up and running. most retailers pay time and a half >> there are places like walmart, providing a full meal to all three workers. >> they are giving them a regiment like that. you can't beat that. you can't beat free money and food. >> brian williams will not get the free food, he'll make more money on thanksgiving. >> i'm getting holiday pay, it's more money for mee and my family to do things. ty says you cannot put a price tag on family time. >> i couldn't imagine my family

being somewhere, and i can't be there because i have to work. you have to work, but that's the day that you are supposed to be with your family. >> with this little one waiting for daddy at home who can blame him. >> too cute. a pizza hut manager who refused to open his restaurant today is unemployed. tony was trying to protect his workers from working on the holiday. the franchise owner forced him to resign. when the word got out social media exploded with outrage, angry commentators inundated a corporate facebook page. a company offered him his job back. it is open, and tony has no intention of going back to work. >> why can't we be the company and say we care about our employees and you can have the day off.

two days most people are guaranteed to have off to share with their family. in a statement pizza hut said: franchise manager says he offered him his job back. watch out croughnuts you have competition, sweet-filled doughnuts are sold on hanukah. they are perfect for thanks-giveka. we have more. >> on this thanksgiving israelis are thankful for doughnuts, they've been made the same way for 60 years. first round the dough, throw it in the fire and it skirts in the

ceiling. sold on hanukah, a jewish holiday. they are equal opportunity, a doug nut that gets soldier exports. for the secular it's a source of sweetness. >> the oil lasts for eight days, we eat a lot of foods that have a lot of oil. >> sugar doesn't hurt either. >> no. >> best doughnuts. >> times are changing and sugar tops are being upgraded. welcome to the english baking shop. look at the flavours. you can get shopping and jelly. that's white chocolate with custody ard and my personnel favourite. ferre roche chocolate.

>> the flavour explosion is a sign of a changing it's rail. >> israel has bachelor of medicine cosmopolitan. maybe it's the influence of israel's closest ally. >> it's another country of the united states. >> israelis are eyeing the holiday. it's the first time that hanukah and thanksgiving copysided. it lives to mash-ups. there are turkey names and thanks-give-a-ka. >> is that what you call it. >> it's better than hanuvie. no matter which holiday we celebrate, we are thankful for the same things. >> it goes to show, to give we don't need a turkey, sometimes all we need is a doug nut.

>> a dough nut get you through. >> a florida woman facing 20 years in gaol after firing a warning shop near her husband has been released. she received a 20 year after ipp voking the stand your ground law. she was sentenced to 20 years, but appealed. she's released until the court date. >> coming up in sport, a full serving of thanksgiving football. >> the detroit lions break a long-standing tradition. a would-be bit coin millionaire who wishes he'd backed up his computer.

welcome back. nearly 7.5 million - that's how much one man says he accidentally threw away in bit coynes. he didn't realise he was throwing out the riches when he got rid of a hard drive. that's where he stored 75-00 bit drives. it contains the private key needed to action and spend it. without the key the cyber money is lost forever. the value of bit coins shut up wednesday m only then did hal realise that he made the investment in 2009. he issued a plea to help? he believes the hard drive is buried in a landfill. there was no back up of that

drive. >> if i was mr hal i would be in the landfill, waist deep, digging for the computer. it's a lot of money. >> ready. >> i'm ready. >> turkey and all that. >> i'm hoping to have it after the show. you are bringing the news that the food has gone. >> it's a tradition, the lions have not done well on thanksgiving day. the last time they won on gobble gobble day lebron james was drafted. you may have heard of him. arnold schwarzenegger was elected governor of california, 2003. lions strapping it up against the packers. green bay has not run since aaron rodgers broke his collarbone. they looked good. burnett stealing jonathan betts - the packers jumping out to a lead. the lions get the boogie on.

jeremy ross - gotta love the name. in the third matt stafford finding his favourite target, calvin johnson. singing 20 yards to the happy place. johnson says, "thank you very much." lions in control 24-10. as for the packers matt flynn got abused. busting through. the good news. aaron rogers expected next week. today they got worked 40-10. the lions sitting pretty with a 7-5 record. >> remember when the pittsburg steelers dropped the first four and everyone is there's no way they can make the play-offs - way. they had a man up in baltimore. shareen williamt has a preview of the showdown. >> both teams are 5 and 6 and vying for the sixth play-off seed.

the game mr go a long way in determining who is a contender and who is not a contender. in the 12th game the steelers beat the ravens. they know they can when with charlie at quarterback. the nfl did the students no favours, it is back to back road games. the ravens are in the midst of a 3-game home stretch. the ravens slightly with the advantage because they are playing at home. >> can you believe we are 70 days away until the winter olympics. we are going bob sledding with steven hocom with a new lease in life. >> steven has been competing since 1988. he struck gold as the driver of a 4-man team in vancouver.

it was a sweet win. he had to overcome an eye disease before the gold medal dream came into focus. >> it's a thinning of the ckahna to bulge out. it caused a lot of isolation. i withdrew and fell into depression. when i timely hit rock bottom... >> to say he hit rock bottom was an understatement. he struggled with his vision. he withdrew from friends and family and tried to take his own life. >> you would be surprised what the human body can endure. you go through crazy stuff. i attempted suicide at one point. it was pretty devastating. it was a moment i realised that i was here for a bigger purpose. >> with a new lease on life he found the courage to address his

secret disability and did so with a risky procedure. we are likely to find it in c 3 r. it's a revolutionary procedure. that saved my vision. after a year having that procedure done, we won the first championship. two years to the day we won a gold medal. >> as the u.s. 4-man bob sled machine, hocum is grateful for another opportunity. he can see he has a greater purpose. >> if i can motivate one person, it's a great feeling if i'm here for something bigger and better. hopefully i can send a message and help others. >> we wish them the best. of course, we'll have more thanksgiving football highlights for the dallas cowboys and the raiders. >> looking forward to it. one part of the new york city it's a case of too much turkey. >> there they go.

find out why the fowl are running wild next. >> currently deployed. id like to send a shout out to family and friends. i miss you and love you. appear

>> i'm a staff sergeant employed in afghanistan. i want to say hello to friends and family in kansas. happy holidays, love you all, see you soon. >> the word of the day, and the focus for many in the kitchen is turkey. it's a staple on the holiday. it's not the only time of the year it's eaten. americans consume $219 million. 46 million are thanksgiving dinners. the average bird ways a plump 16 pounds. it's a lot of meat. benjamin franklin wrote that the bird was a bird of courage and the national bird should be the turkey. he was referring to wild turkeys. unlike their domesticated

covins, wild turkeys faced extinction. they have made is comeback. >> they have been known as the birds americans can't live without or with. turkeys, wild ones are roaming free in new york's staten island. >> it's a decent size bird. if it hits the windshield it can create a problem. a lot of people are afraid of them, especially kids. some people are more concerned about what will happen to their feathered friends. >> i'm an animal lover. i think they should go somewhere where they can run around and be free. >> the u.s. department of ag and new york environmental officials located or killed the majority of the turkeys, leaving about 25 on the streets. a proposal to donate the turkeys to homeless shelters is on hold until the meat can be tested.

wild turkeys have become best. they almost became extinct in the 1930s. in a great conservation success story the birds rebounded. there are more than 7 million nationwide. >> there was one woman who kept her turkeys. one day, for unknown reasons won't let them. the 10 turkeys grew into 100, and kind of made this area their home. >> heather, and other activists came together to find a solution, creating the first turkey park. >> we built a fake park. the idea was my colleagues and i were a group of artists and activists and we decided we wanted to see if we could design

a project acting as an intervention to the community to meed yit the relationship and start a dialogue with the city about how they would get involved in fixing the relationship. it's a relationship some can't see ending soon. >> for the turkeys here, something would be missing. >> this is a part of staten island. it's part of the puzzle for birds. >> the fate of the remaining turkeys is clear. some hope they'll stick around long after thanksgiving. well, last night at this time we talked about a different scenario across the eastern sea board. along the eastern sea board. look at what we are looking at, the rain and snow. this caused problems, not as bad

as we thought. most major airports were dealing with rain. if the snow went towards the east, there would have been a big problem, and the icing would have come into play, delays longer. what we are dealing with now - better conditions. there is snow across the great lakes. everyone knows what that is. it dumps a bit on the opposite side of the lake. 12 inches within a day or so. many people are dealing with cold conditions. temperatures are cool. gnat as bad as tomorrow. new york 27, atlanta 54. the big problem for tomorrow is really going to be down towards the south-west. you wouldn't expect los angeles to deal with rain, but there is an area of low pressure off the post, spinning. you can see the clouds bringing the rain in. unfortunately on friday it will

continue. 71 degrees. temperatures rising and conditions getting better. the north-west is dealing with problems as well, rain is coming into play. not showing it now. it will get heavy i don't remember, friday, saturday and sunday, which is a busy day to fly as well. seattle a rainy day. getting better. for the rest of the country you are looking nice. new york's temperatures coming up. a few more mornings below freezing. we don't have rain on the ground. that's not a problem. it's not going get icy. we see temperatures back to normal next week. chicago cool. 18 degrees tomorrow. that's the weather.

you are watching al jazeera america live from new york city. i'm john than betz with tonight's headlines. seven mine fors were sentenced to prison in egypt for protesting. vice president biden is heading to china next week this in the midst of territorial tensions between china and japan. eager shoppers who finished their thanksgiving day early will have more chances for a bargain. major